By Erin Smith, Journal and Courier

A Clinton County Sheriff's Department officer is expected to plead guilty to operating a vehicle while intoxicated at his next court appearance Jan. 20, according to county prosecutor Louis Evans.

Detective Lt. Eric Douglass was arrested by Frankfort police around 11:30 p.m. New Year's Eve for allegedly drinking and driving.

Douglass, who was driving his personal vehicle and was not on duty, was speeding and police could smell alcohol on him, according to sheriff's Maj.
Mike Hensley.

Douglass had a blood-alcohol content of 0.17 percent, Hensley said -- more than twice Indiana's legal limit of 0.08. He was taken to the Clinton County Jail on a misdemeanor OWI charge and posted $5,000 surety bond the next day.

Douglass appeared in court Tuesday, and his driver's license was suspended.
Special prosecutor Jeff Edens, from Boone County, was appointed to the case, because, as prosecutor, Evans has often worked with Douglass, Evans said.

On Monday, Douglass met with Sheriff Mark Mitchell and agreed to voluntarily be demoted from lieutenant to probationary officer status, meaning he will be under the direct supervision of the sheriff. His salary will be cut by about $2,800 a year.

"There's no reason why he can't at a later date start working his way back up the ranks," said Hensley.

Douglass, who has nearly 13 years with the sheriff's department, was suspended without pay for 15 days. It was his first offense.

"He's a good officer," Hensley said. "It's just poor judgment, and there are consequences we have to pay with poor judgment."

Douglass also agreed to remove himself from the department's Drug Abuse Resistance Education program, which is designed to teach children responsibility and how to resist peer pressure. He had been the department's DARE officer for about eight years, Hensley said.

The agreement between Douglass and Mitchell states Douglass must seek alcohol abuse counseling and will not have use of a county-owned vehicle for off-duty activities for a year.

"It's more than what a lot of departments give," said Hensley. But "we can't tolerate it. We're out here as public figures."

Douglass said he was "sorry it happened," said Hensley. "It's just one of those things -- we all make mistakes. No hard feelings on our part; we just wish it hadn't happened."